Visit www.gwhatchet.com daily for updates on the baseball team’s run at the A-10 championship

Posted Thursday. May 26, 10:36 p.m. The GW baseball team’s hope of winning the Atlantic 10 Championship took a severe hit Thursday as they were crushed 10-3 by rival Richmond. The Colonials will now have to survive the loser’s bracket and win at least two games to make the finals.

GW awaits the outcome of Thursday’s nightcap between Duquesne and Dayton. The Colonials will square off against the winner, Friday at 3:30 p.m. If they advance past that game, they will take on the loser of Rhode Island and Richmond at 7 p.m. on Friday.

This is the second straight year that Richmond has defeated the Colonials in the quarterfinal round, banishing them to the loser’s bracket and the brink of elimination. If the Colonials suffer one more loss, they will be bounced from the tournament.

Sophomore ace Derek Lutz was lit up over five and two-thirds innings Thursday, allowing seven runs, six earned. Lutz chalked up his first loss of the season.

Trailing 7-1 going into the bottom of the sixth, junior Matt Owens gave GW some life by hitting a two-run homer. However, Richmond built on their four-run lead over the final three innings with one run in the seventh and two in the ninth.

The Colonials bats had no answer for the Richmond pitching staff.

Senior Geoff Mislom was 3-for-5 with an RBI.

GW’s bullpen was forced into action as sophomore Derek Haese, senior Avi Rasowsky, senior Nate CasaGrande and freshman Joel Brookens all pitched in relief.